Bleach in Black
by Kitake Neru
Summary: Bleach, with a MIB twist. Meet Rukia, the seasoned Hollow Hunter. Meet Ichigo, the clueless rookie. Meet Fate, who is about to turn their lives into a disaster. Chapter 6: The First Night.
1. Chapter 1 Welcome to my world

After a long period of hibernating, I looked through my archives and decided which fic to be put up next. So I settled on this one. A sort of AU to Bleach, but I will follow the storyline, so if you don't want to read another Aizen betrayal, then don't start the first paragraph.

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite. The concept of Men In Black doesn't belong to me either.

_There are things in this world that we can't see._

_There are things in this world we don't understand._

_Thus fear is born._

"Hadou 33: Shakkahou!"

A burst of red flame engulfed the shrieking creature and it withered in agony and rage, thrashing about. There was a whoop of joy and several satisfied cackling, all which did not go unnoticed.

"What are you doing, Abarai? This is no time for games!" A silver-haired boy barked testily into the earpiece. An answering chuckle made him frown. "Sorry, Hitsugaya-taichou! Just lettin' ff steam, y'know?"

"I _don't_ know," Hitsugaya Toushiro replied sarcastically. "Hurry up and finish it before it does something stupid."

"Relax, taichou. It's already stupid, how stupid do you think it will get?"

"Possibly nowhere near your level, but all the same _be careful – _"

"Arrgh!" Another cry made him start. "Report, Kira!"

There were some shouting and the sound of explosions before Kira's voice came on.

"The Hollow has broken the kekkai and retreated, sir! Requesting further orders!"

Cursing, Hitsugaya pressed a finger to his temple. This was just not his day. "All units report back. And you too Abarai." The venom in his voice was clear, and an audible gulp could be heard from the other side.

"Kurosaki-kuuun!"

Seventeen-year old Kurosaki Ichigo nearly bowled over at the over-enthusiastic greeting. One would think that after five months, he would have gotten used to it. Unfortunately Ichigo is just too thick-headed for his own good.

"I-Inoue…" He managed a smile back.

_Cue Kurosaki Ichigo, seventeen year old, male. Thick-headed, sullen faced and short-tempered. Outwardly he looks like your run-of-the-mill badass – and in a way he is. Despite appearances, he's a studious student with an excellent academic record and a rather interesting inherent ability…_

However thick-headed he was, Ichigo did learn that if he didn't respond to Inoue with a smile, she would go all teary eyed and fearful and he'd have hell on his hands – in the form of one Arisawa Tatsuki.

_Cue Arisawa Tatsuki, seventeen year old, female, two times gold medal winner of the National Under-18 Women's Karate Championship. Feisty temper with a fist to match, she's Inoue's constant companion and a nightmare to macho men everywhere._

"Ichigo, try and smile a little more, can't you?" Said Tatsuki scolded him lightly while munching on her sandwich. Ichigo noticed that it was filled with sweet-bean paste, which would mean that Inoue made that sandwich for her. Only Inoue can eat an entire barrel of sweet bean and not get sick, or fat for that matter.

"Aa, it's okay, Tatsuki-chan," Obviously Inoue was quite happy with his smile. He made a mental note to exercise his facial muscles to perform that particular expression for times like these.

_Cue Inoue Orihime, fifteen year old, female. Unbelievably genki, filled with boundless enthusiasm and completely clueless. Her palate is legendary, also known to be the Terror of Home Economics. Although she maybe the embodiment of a bimbo, she's actually pretty smart when it comes to things that matter._

"No Inoue, he needs to smile more instead of looking like a constipated orangutan."

Ichigo blithely ignored her comment, instead preferring to stare out of the window while waiting for class to start.

While most people looks out of the window and sees the school field, Ichigo sees much much more.

"Ooo, it's Kurosaki-san!" A ghostly specter floated up to his window and waved him a good morning with a bloody mangled hand. "Hellooo, Kurosaki-san!"

Curse you, thought Ichigo. Go to Heaven already.

"Who are you talking to, Michi?" A second apparition floated down from the roof, this time with the left half of her face missing. Michi pointed to Ichigo, and her finger went right through the glass.

Ichigo didn't even flinch. Kami-sama knows how the class would react to him suddenly screaming his head off. Besides, he's been faced with much worse situations than simply being pointed to.

"This boy can see us, Naki. Say hello to him too."

Che, he grunted and diverted his attention elsewhere. It's bad enough that he's cursed with spirit vision; the spirits actually know he can see them and act like he's their buddy. Get real!

"Yo Ichigo!" A spirited, idiotic-looking boy arrived, waving his hand energetically. Behind him, a tall dark-skinned boy bowed a little to pass through the door.

_Cue Asano Keigo and Sado Yasutora. The first is the class idiot, the latter the class giant. Asano is hopelessly stupid and proves it in many ways. Sado is quiet, preferring the company of a book and his music player rather than people. _

"Ichigo, did you hear?"

"Hear what?" Ichigo had resigned himself to his fate. Keigo was always full of news in the morning, and Ichigo could bet his family clinic that half of them are useless rumors.

"Some students saw a ghost in the school ground yesterday," Keigo whispered – well he looked like he was whispering but Chiaki in the corner could hear him. "Well I think it's a poltergeist cause they didn't really see him, get what I mean?"

"Uh-huh," Ichigo resumed his vigil of staring out of the window; already reaching the conclusion that today's newsflash is just trash.

A few figures coming up the pavement caught his eye. Four men, he noted. No, make that three guys and a boy, all dressed in black suits and matching shades. He watched them until they disappeared through the double doors. Funny, they seem too old to be students (except the boy) and too smartly dressed to be school inspectors. So what gives?

The four stopped in the hallway. The smallest, the boy known as Hitsugaya glared at Abarai. "Abarai, Kira, Hisagi; secure the exits. Wait until she gives the signal before activating the kekkai."

"Ryokai!" They affirmed before vanishing. Sighing, the boy looked up to the emergency button concealed behind its glass window. They were doing just fine, but now that the creature has chosen to hide in a public place, things could get messy. It's an embarrassment, really. If the other captains get wind of this he'll be teased for life. "Why me?" He almost sighed.

Up on the roof, another more petite figure was kneeling, scanning the building through her visor. "Left wing clear, right wing clear, searching underground – sector 1, sector 2… Underground clear of Hollow energy. Switching to spirit emission detector. Scanning perimeters from the top – abnormal spirit energy detected on the third floor, but it doesn't have a Hollow pattern."

"Ignore that, Kuchiki," Hitsugaya's voice came through.

"Yes, Hitsugaya-taichou," Rukia quickly apologized as she continued scanning.

"Searching underground – Abnormal emission detected. Pattern matches that of a B-Class Hollow. Hitsugaya-taichou, it's here. Coordinates 334.552 mark 611." She called to her captain through a visored headset, and down below the boy sighed. Jumping up, he easily shattered the fire alarm.

RINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!

"What the - a fire drill?" Ichigo hastily dropped his pen. Their teacher looked about in alarm. "I didn't know anything about… oh well. Students! Line up calmly and proceed to the exits!" He called to the already chaotic class.

Ichigo frowned. They already had a fire drill two weeks ago; why the sudden need for another one?

"Maa, pretty efficient kids," The one called Abarai chortled as he watched the students pour out into the field. "Oy, Rukia, hurry up."

Up above, Rukia was suddenly faced with a problem. "Something's wrong, Hitsugaya-taichou. The Hollow signal has disappeared out of my range – no – "

"Tch. Abarai! Kira! Hisagi! Move in!" Hitsugaya grumbled as he quickly ran outside. Where the hell did that Hollow run to!

"Taichou!" Rukia suddenly bolted out from her position and headed to the edge of the roof. "Taichou, it's coming up from under the field! It's after the students! Initiating diversion!"

"Wait! Kuchiki!"

Too late, Rukia had launched herself over the roof and released a surge of spirit power.

From below, Ichigo watched in wide-eyed surprise as the girl jumped off the roof. "What the - "

And screamed when something tore out from the ground, heading straight for the girl. He toppled to his knees, shaking madly.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

He could hear Inoue, but she seemed so far away. He was suffocating – there wasn't enough air – he couldn't breathe – Gasping, he forced himself took up and his blood curled. WHAT IS THAT…MONSTER?

A huge _thing_, almost as tall as the building was high loomed above him, all tentacles and feet and tails. If the thing had a face, it was hidden behind a grotesque mask twisted in a snarl.

"Taichou, we can't activate the kekkai with the students there!" Called Kira. Hitsugaya muttered to himself again. Why do these things always happen when he's on duty!

Meanwhile Rukia had performed a series of seals. "Blast Spell 35: Red Arrows!"

The Hollow wailed in agony as the spell pierced its body, but the spell alone isn't enough to fully kill it. In its pain, it lashed out and caught her in the side, throwing her a good thirty feet away, sending her crashing into some trees.

"Oy, look here Hollow," A lazy voice called out from the roof and the beast looked up – only to see a small boy leaping straight at him brandishing a sword. In one swift slash, Hitsugaya sliced the Hollow's head clean in two, right through the white face mask.

All in all, the students were completely oblivious to the monster. All they saw was Rukia falling, Rukia thrown aside by some invisible force and Hitsugaya leaping and slicing with nothing in his hands.

Only Ichigo in his semi-delirious state… saw it all.

Once Hitsugaya had sliced the monster, Ichigo saw it dissolve into thin air – and suddenly the oxygen rushed back to him and he breathed gratefully, heart pounding loudly.

"Hey, Ichigo, are you okay?" Tatsuki was kneeling next to him with a worried look on her face. "You suddenly looked like you had a seizure or something."

He slowly got up, head still spinning. "You guys… didn't feel it?"

"Feel what?"

They don't know. That realization hit him hard. If they didn't see anything, didn't feel anything, then… then…

Everything was… everyone… ghosts?

Hitsugaya landed next to Rukia and quickly helped her up. "Any injuries, Kuchiki?"

"I'm sorry, taichou," Rukia feebly got to her feet. "I should have been able to follow it's movements."

"Nah, it's fine," Hitsugaya banished his katana and looked expectantly at the girl. "Did it hit you hard?"

"No, taichou," She smiled slightly. "Please… don't put this in the report."

"Fine," He shrugged. "I thought you did a good job. Don't be too hard on yourself, Kuchiki."

"Thank you, taichou."

He then cast his glance to the crowd. He had felt a surge of spirit power there; it's still weak but it had potential. Must be that abnormal spirit emission Kuchiki saw earlier.

"Attention, attention," Someone clapped his hand loudly and all eyes reverted to the roof where a blonde with a strange haircut was waiting. On his right, a spiky-haired man with three scars running down the right side of his face looked down at them disinterestedly.

"Thank you for participating in this fire drill, we of Light and Magic Inc. staged it to show off our latest stunt from the upcoming movie, "Action Black."

A murmur rose from the crowd and Kira cleared his throat again. "So we're giving out this exclusive freebie," He held out a stick-like object no bigger than a pen; "And whoever catches it may consider himself lucky. Ready? 1, 2,"

Flash!

Ichigo winced at the sudden burst of light. The hell?

Kira smiled. "When you come to, this has been an ordinary fire drill with nothing out of the ordinary happening. You did not see any men in black suits, did not see a girl and a boy jumping down from the roof and did not see nor hear me or any of us. You will return back to your classes and resume life as usual. End."

Ichigo frowned. Huh?

But the two men on the roof were gone. Looking around, he realized that the girl and the boy were gone too. And the people around him… "Oi, Tatsuki," he tried to shake his friend but she just stared blankly at the roof. Looking around him, he realized everyone was staring dumbly at the roof, as if in a trance.

A few seconds passed, and just like a huge hand suddenly snapped its fingers, everyone jolted back to reality.

"Ah, is the drill over?" Inoue blinked in confusion and looked at Ichigo. "Ne, Kurosaki-kun?"

He didn't know what to say.

"Come on, Inoue. Let's get back to class," Tatsuki nudged her friend along and the girl nodded.

"This is Hitsugaya," Hitsugaya spoke into a cellphone, the five of them hidden in a grove of trees. "Mission complete. We have an injured Hunter, requesting to be teleported back."


	2. Chapter 2 Untreatable Injury

Chapter 2: The Untreatable Injury

A/N: Thanks to those who took the time to read and review the first chapter, I appreciate it very much! To **jadeb**, yes this is IchiRuki since I'll follow the canon pairings. The pairings will come in a little late, that's all. Also I'm in need of a beta, so if anyone feels like wanting to beta for me, please drop a review or email me, thanks!

Disclaimer: Everything that seems familiar to you doesn't belong to me.

* * *

"This is Hitsugaya," Hitsugaya spoke into a cellphone, the five of them hidden in a grove of trees. "Mission complete. We have an injured Hunter, requesting to be teleported back."

"Affirmative," The operator replied. "Hitsugaya-taichou, Kira-fukutaichou, Abarai-fukutaichou, Hisagi-fukutaichou and Kuchiki Rukia. Location confirmed."

"Hai… to think we came out just for this. I didn't even get to kill anything!" Renji moaned and Kira smiled sheepishly. "Abarai-kun, you were the one complaining of boredom. At least you could get out while Kuchiki-taichou is out."

"Yeah," Renji muttered as a ring of blue light surrounded them; the signal that they were about to be teleported.

"You're not going to get a good report from me, Abarai," Hitsugaya remarked sourly as they faded from view.

* * *

The Hunter HQ was relatively quiet when Hitsugaya and his team reported back after their mission. The three vice-captains returned to their respective divisions while Rukia reported to the infirmary. Hitsugaya was left to the most unpleasant task of all – writing a report. Ah, bureaucracy.

"Welcome back, taichou," His adjutant, an ample-chested female by the name of Matsumoto Rangiku greeted him as he entered the squad office. "You don't look happy. Did something go wrong?"

"No, nothing unusual," muttered Hitsugaya as he took his seat behind his desk and lazily picked up a fancy pen with a white feather on it. "Has the team returned?"

"Not yet, taichou." Matsumoto glanced at Hitsugaya. The boy wore his usual 'I-don't-care' expression, but with a little more venom. She figured that something must have gone wrong, but for the life of her couldn't figure out why. He was sent to supervise _three_ vice-captains on a B-class hunt; mere child's play for someone of his rank. Surely there was nothing to be upset about?

_Cue Matsumoto Rangiku, 25 years old, female. Vice-captain of the Emergency Response Unit, a busty woman whose battle abilities are only surpassed by her charming beauty. She balances her captain's aloof demeanor by being completely mischievous at times. _

"Nothing that I can't take care of," His adjutant briefly scanned the report in front of her. "Although our third seat applied for a two-week leave starting next week. His wife is due to give birth soon. Approve it?"

"Approve it," Hitsugaya said lazily. "It's not like anything big is happening."

"Also the Academy's recent graduation showed some promising graduates. You're requested to visit the academy tomorrow, taichou."

"Dammit, and you say there's nothing for me, Matsumoto?"

Matsumoto smiled patiently. Because her taichou is her superior, she ignored his coarse language and aloof demeanor in comparison to his age. "It must have slipped my mind."

"You're getting old," Hitsugaya muttered as he began writing.

_Late cue, Hitsugaya Toushiro, age 13, captain of the Emergency Response Unit, also the youngest Captain in Hunter Corp. Also the shortest captain in Hunter history. He holds quite a few records for someone so young. _

Matsumoto lounged back in her chair, having finished all the work. Back in Assault Unit 5, paperwork was nil. They had nothing to report most of the time anyway. But the ERU is different. When Intelligence reports a sighting that is abnormal or in a non-AU patrolled sector, the ERU are deployed to investigate and possibly annihilate. Whichever the outcome, a report must be prepared to be sent to the Soutaichou.

Just then there was a knock and a tall woman with braided hair stepped in. Which should be nothing unusual, but instead of wearing it at the back, her hair was braided in front, swaying gently with each step. Despite wearing the black that was required of them, she looked quite bright, her smile gentle and serene. A doctor's coat peeked from under the large shawl draped around her.

"Hitsugaya-taichou?"

_Cue Unohana Retsu, Age unknown. Captain of the Medical Unit. It is said that in all her years serving the Corp, she had never lost her temper even once. But don't say calm waters hath no crocodiles… _

"Unohana-taichou," Hitsugaya sat up straighter in his chair. The woman smiled gently and waved the formalities away. "I had just finished tending to Kuchiki-san's wounds. It is surprising that she got injured while on a mission under your supervision, Hitsugaya-taichou."

"Ah…" Hitsugaya's brows creased in slight apprehension, his mask slipping. She was giving him a backhanded compliment while berating him for his failure – what a paradox. "I accept full responsibility for any injuries sustained by Hunter personnel under my command. However I did not think her injuries were serious."

"Well they aren't life-threatening, but what I did not understand was why she got hurt. Wasn't she the visor scout?"

Matsumoto sneaked a glance at her captain. It wasn't everyday that people found fault with the boy genius. Hitsugaya normally executed his orders flawlessly, but she guessed there must be a first time for everything.

"…She acted against orders." Hitsugaya replied at last. Matsumoto raised an eyebrow. It was also rare for her captain to show annoyance to another captain – but disobeying his orders had that effect. "She was trying to keep damage to a minimum, so she risked an attack to prevent the Hollow from attacking the civilians."

Unohana smiled. "That is very like her. However, I'm afraid her injuries are rather worrying. Physically, she is unharmed. However, the blow had damaged her Chain Link rather badly."

"No!" Matsumoto gasped.

Hitsugaya frowned. For a Hunter, one's two vital points lies in his Soul Sleep and Chain Link; two points that generate and boost spirit power. Any damage incurred to either one would result in unstable spirit power generation or worse – no generation at all. "How bad is it?"

"It isn't life-threatening, but I can't let her go on duty for the next few weeks or so… until her chain link has completely healed. Kuchiki relies heavily on her Demon Arts, and any attempt to use high-level Kidou will result in worse damage."

"Wait a minute, Unohana-taichou," Something had just occurred to Hitsugaya. "You're going to tell this to Ukitake-taichou, aren't you?"

"That is a must. He is her captain."

"And… Kuchiki-taichou?"

She too, paused. "I believe it cannot be avoided. He is after all, her brother."

Hitsugaya thoughtfully rested his chin on his hands. "…Is it possible for her to heal before he returns?"

"That is not possible, Hitsugaya-taichou, and you know it too," For a moment Unohana looked hopelessly at the ground. "It is a pity, but there is no method to treating such injuries. She must recover on her own."

Hitsugaya sighed and straightened up again. "Thank you for dropping by, Unohana-taichou."

"Good day, Hitsugaya-taichou. Matsumoto-san."

Matsumoto bit her lip uncertainly and was about to arrange her paper pile when a sheaf of papers were dumped on her desk. "Eep!"

"I'm done with them," Hitsugaya said lazily. "And Matsumoto?"

"Yes taichou?"

"I don't want to hear this on the gossip gravevine - ever."

"Y-Yes taichou." It was scary how he could practically read her mind sometimes.

* * *

The bell tinkled and Kurosaki Yuzu looked to see who. "Onii-chan?" She blinked in surprise at her orange-haired brother. "Onii-chan, welcome home!"

_Cue Kurosaki Yuzu, age 11. Youngest member of the Kurosaki Family. Despite her age and size, she's the most useful around the house and looks after everyone._

Strangely he only nodded before heading up to his room. Perplexed, Yuzu ran after him. "Onii-chan, are you alright? Did you get hurt?"

He stopped on the stairs and managed a smile. "I'm okay. I'm just… tired."

"Um, alright," Yuzu clasped her hands in worry. "Are you sure you don't want dinner, onii-chan?"

"Hmm."

"Who's that? Did Ichigo come back?" Kurosaki Isshin, resident doctor of the Kurosaki Family Clinic poked his head to the hallway.

"Em, you just missed him," Yuzu walked back to the office where she was doing medicine inventories. Isshin made a horrified face. "Whaat? Ichigo came back and didn't even say hi to me?"

"Shut up, you're really annoying." His other daughter made an appearance, bogged down with boxes of pills. "If Ichi-nii says he's tired then maybe he is."

"Demo Karin-chan, Ichi-nii was perfectly healthy yesterday!"

"I didn't say he's sick, Yuzu. But then again, who knows?"

"I think it's cause onii-san's always troubled by ghosts," Yuzu said importantly. "They must be affecting him."

"Then he's stuck, isn't he?" Karin replied wearily. "Unfortunately there's no medication for ghost sickness."

* * *

"Her chain link is damaged?" Ukitake Jyuushirou never had such a look of disbelief on his face, ever. He worriedly passed a hand through his long hair. "Yare yare, this isn't good."

Unohana watched as her comrade rubbed his chin. Ukitake absently picked out a report and skimmed through it half-heartedly. "Her brother is still away, isn't he? Byakuya still doesn't know about this?"

"Kuchiki-taichou is still away, and is not expected to return until the middle of next week." Unohana replied. "Currently the S.M.C is unable to locate their position, let alone receive reports. He will not know of her condition until he returns." She lapsed into silence before sighing again.

"Yare yare…" Ukitake sighed. "Rukia will get in trouble when Byakuya finds out that she damaged her chain link. I can't imagine his punishment, but I know it won't be light. These Hunter families can be so ickle. Do you have any ideas, Unohana-san?"

"It would be best for her to rest, but keeping her in the facility is not the wisest option. However, I do not recommend her fit to fight yet either, Ukitake. If you recall, she is still recovering from…" She hesitated to continue, but Ukitake got the message anyway.

"There has to be something we can do," Ukitake muttered as he went over the reports of the day. Although Rukia had only been in his unit for two years, she showed good promise of being an outstanding Hunter. And with a brother like Byakuya, Ukitake expected her to rise rapidly in rank. But for some reason, the higher-ups always rejected his proposal at promoting the girl.

Maybe it's because she's from the Thirteenth Unit? Ukitake frowned slightly. His unit was primarily in charge of intelligence and worked closely with the S.M.C. Unlike the Assault Units, his subordinates were only called when the need for Kidoh experts arose. Other than that, he was also in charge of validating reports from the various divisions and arranging those in need of attention from the General.

Something struck him and he riffed through the papers again. Intelligence. Reports. "That's it!"

Unohana watched in slight bafflement as he read through a report. "Hitsugaya reported an 'abnormal spirit presence' during his mission today. Apparently he found a human with an abnormally high spirit power level – this is interesting. Hitsugaya never reported any anomalies before."

"Hitsugaya is very particular in his specifications. If the human caught his attention, then he must be worth investigating," Unohana offered. "Perhaps you can authorize Kuchiki Rukia to observe him for a few weeks?"

"Ah," smiled Ukitake as he drew up a sheet of paper. "I'll have the S.M.C. find his whereabouts. We'll let Rukia observe him for a few weeks; a few weeks should be enough for her chain link to recover. Observing a candidate for the Academy always takes time, so Byakuya won't be suspicious. I believe Rukia's injury can be kept quiet?"

"Please leave that to me," Unohana smiled slightly and shook her head. "It is unfortunate… but what is done, is done. Thank you for your time, Ukitake."

"No matter, Unohana. She is my subordinate after all."

* * *

Rukia sat at the edge of her bed, one hand splayed over her abdomen. There was no pain, no blood and no scar yet she could feel it – she wasn't okay. Even when the medics had assured her that she was healthy enough to be discharged, she still felt as if they're hiding something from her.

"Yo," A muffled voice outside the room made her look up. "Come in."

The door opened and Renji came in. Dressed in casuals, he was apparently off-duty today. "How're ya doin', Rukia?"

Rukia smiled a bit. Trust Renji to ignore formalities and protocol. Although he was a vice-captain, Renji wasn't a stickler to rules. "Renji."

He grinned and picked out an apple from the fruit basket. "Those snobby guards out there kept askin' me for ID. Heck, I'm just coming to see a friend."

Her eyes softened and she bowed slightly. "Sorry about that. I'll scold them."

"Nah," He waved it away. "They're just doin' their job, aren't they? After all, you're a Kuchiki. Can't just let anybody pass through, haha!"

She smiled painfully at his jibe, feeling it sting. The rank of vice-captain wasn't what separated them… it was her name. The Kuchiki House, one of the most prestigious Hunter families in history.

But she wasn't born a noble. She didn't have the Kuchiki blood running in her veins. All she did was let the name shield her, let herself be conformed to its expectations.

She grew up in the abandoned streets of Rukongai, the 'trash' district. She didn't know how she ended up there, but she assumed her parents had thrown her away. She learnt to steal almost as soon as she learnt to crawl, and that was how she survived. Even when she was beaten to near death, she refused to let this miserable district claim her dead body. Later on she met Renji, and they became fast friends. Their ability to see and purify spirits was their ticket out of Rukongai when they obtained a referral to the Hunter …

"_Hah!" Renji roared and concentrated his palms together. He slowly moved them apart and concentrated his spirit energy into a sword form. The shining spirit energy wavered, wobbled – and vanished. "Gaah!"_

_Rukia giggled, her own sword lying beside her. Renji merely glared at her. "Stop showing off, Rukia!"_

"_I'm not," She said innocently, twirling the sword in her hand. It was slender and refined, but what puzzled Renji was that it was completely white. Solid white from hilt to tip. Even the ribbon that trailed from the hilt was pristine and pure. "Che. What's the point of materializing a sword if you don't put any details? It doesn't look like a real sword, y'know."_

"_It's a zanpakutou no matter how it looks," Rukia replied hotly. "And at least I managed to materialize a sword by listening to my 'ghost' properly, unlike you."_

"_What's that? You wanna fight!"_

_She stuck out her tongue at him and continued to watch his attempts at materializing his spirit power. Stupid Renji. If only he cared to listen properly, he might hear the name of his 'ghost' properly but no. Pompous Renji who thinks he's better than her in every aspect doesn't need to meditate. He can hear his 'ghost' in his dream just fine. Or so he says. _

_Their mentor had told them that having spirit power did not mean they can purify hollows. It's a question of how they used the spirit power that matters. _

"_Everyone is born with spirit power," He had explained one day. "Every single human has a guardian 'ghost' that serves as a spiritual source. Most people are not aware of their 'ghosts' and thus the spirit power remains dormant, or rots away. And each spirit power differs from person to person. A skilled exorcist may have a strong 'ghost' protecting him. A seer may have a 'ghost' that can predict the future. Great figures in history all use their 'ghosts', whether they realize it or not."_

"_Can we do that?" Renji asked. "Exorcising spirits? Me and Rukia… we can see them. Rukia can touch them, but I don't feel anything solid."_

"_Ah… then you're already on your first step," He had smiled. "Your 'ghosts' are calling to you, and you're half-listening but not quite there yet."_

"_Huh?" Renji squinted. "Meaning?"_

"_I'll come back in a month. Try and learn your ghosts' names by then. You will see the difference."_

"_Sode no Shirayuki," Rukia mumbled, running her hand down the cold blade. Sleeve of White Snow. It was no wonder that her weapon was pure white. _

_It came as a surprise, actually. Before, they were able to manifest their spirit power into globes of light, but nothing more. As she was meditating, she heard a voice – and saw it. A katana of pure white, glowing with a gentle, pulsing light. It was then she realized – this is her ghost. _

_Unfortunately Renji was having a hard time with his. He said the name sounded like Zabimaro or something… but he couldn't be quite sure. And he couldn't think of the shape of his weapon either, except he wished it to be a really long katana._

_It wasn't long after he finally learnt his ghost's name did the opportunity to test their power arise. A monster had appeared in the northern end of Rukongai, and the two rushed to see if it was spiritual. _

"_Big." Rukia managed, suddenly feeling faint. Renji nodded dumbly. "Well… we gotta do something. Um… I don't know how strong this is."_

"_You can distract him while I run over, right?"_

_Renji wondered if he replied with the same nervousness. "Right."_

_Taking a deep breath, she gripped her katana and he clenched his jaws. "Let's go."_

_He's just an ugly shopkeeper, thought Rukia as Renji sprinted towards the monster. Just an ugly shopkeeper who will kill us for stealing food. Just trip him!_

_She shot out from her hiding place as Renji swung his sword. "Howl, Zabimaru!"_

_His katana suddenly shot out, extending its segments. Like a serrated saw, it caught the monster in the side and tore a huge gash, spewing blood everywhere._

_Meanwhile Rukia lifted her sword. She could feel it; her ghost guiding her hand, calming her nerves, speaking the words. First Dance; White Moon._

_Renji watched as the ground under the monster froze, freezing it from feet upwards. Taking the chance, he roared and swung the sword once more, decapitating the monster with a single blow._

_Rukia's eyes met Renji. _

_They did it._

"_Ho, not bad!" A cheerful voice greeted them, a figure in a black gi and a striped hat slid down the mountain of trash. "You've improved a lot, kids!"_

"_Sensei…" Rukia managed before her knees gave way and she fell, dropping her katana. Their mentor grinned. "I didn't expect you to be able to use your Soul Cutters so soon, but I've underestimated you. Well done!" he applauded and gave Renji a slip of paper. The redhead stared at it in confusion. "What is it?"_

"_This is the address of the Hunter HQ. Go there whenever you feel ready."_

"_Hunter?"_

"_They are people like you, who walks the path between reality and the supernatural. Go there and show your zanpakutous – Soul Cutters – and you'll be admitted into the Academy, where you will learn more about your powers."_

_Renji gripped the piece of paper and helped Rukia up. She looked fearfully at the blood on her shirt and looked up questioningly at Renji. He smiled in return. "Let's go, Rukia. It's time to change our fate."_

"Oy, are you still here?" Renji poked her nose. She managed an affronted glare, but it only made him chuckle. "Anyway, I got a new tattoo. Whaddaya think?" He proudly removed his headband and displayed yet another addition to his body markings. Rukia sweat-dropped. "Now you look like a yakuza gone mad, Renji."

He scowled at her unflattering reaction. "Hey, the ladies said I look manly."

"I don't see how tattoos could possibly add up to that," Rukia said dryly. "Nii-sama doesn't have a single one and the ladies just keep flocking."

"Aah, he's different," Renji scowled at the mention of his captain, also Rukia's older brother. "Anyway, heard they're sending you on a scouting mission," He switched topic as he pulled up a chair. "Man, you always get the easy ones."

"Don't be jealous, Renji," Rukia laughed lightly. "It's just a boring mission, nothing to it. Just a little surveillance mission."

"Surveillance, huh? Well I'm not gonna pry," He stood up and reaffixed his headband. "Guess I'd hit the bars now!"

"Don't get sloshed and make Kira carry you home, y'hear?" Rukia called good-naturedly after him. She knew her warnings were in vain; Renji doesn't seem to know restraint when indulging in sake. She was surprised he hasn't gotten drunk to the point of waving his zanpakutou and causing a fuss – but he's always been lucky.

The door slid open again and Rukia raised her eyebrows. "Sentarou? Kiyone?"

"Yo!" The two greeted cheerfully, Sentarou bringing a large fruit hamper. "How's things, Rukia?"

"Taichou sent us," Kiyone said eagerly, occupying the single seat. "He's a bit busy now, but he'll come – if you're still here."

"Thank you," Rukia smiled gratefully. "I hope I didn't cause any trouble to everyone."

"No trouble, no trouble at all!" Sentarou stroked his goatee proudly. "Your health comes first, ne? We don't want you to collapse like – " He abruptly caught himself and coughed. "Um, well, we don't want you to get sick! That's the point!"

Her heart clenched a bit, but she quickly cleared the feeling away. There's no need to reminisce any more. "More importantly, What about my next mission?"

"Oh, that," Sentarou glanced at Kiyone, who only shrugged in the negative. "We don't know. Taichou just said it's a candidate surveillance task, but he arranged it himself without telling us. We were kind of worried that he assigned you since you're still recuperating, but Unohana-taichou said you're okay, so you must be okay."

So it's a secret… huh. There must be a reason why taichou made me go on a solo mission despite what happened. "Actually I'm alright," Rukia managed to smile. "I'll report back to the office tomorrow, so don't worry."

"We're not… worried," Kiyone began hesitantly but quickly pushed it away. "Sentarou, let's get back for the briefing," She stood up and pulled her companion by the scruff of his collar. "Bye, Rukia!"

She waved them a cheery goodbye and slumped back against the pillows. Outside, the bright day continued uninterrupted by her gloomy deposition.

"I'm alright."

* * *

Hitsugaya flipped the light switch with one hand, the other removing his shoes. His footwear joined several identical ones on the shoe rack and he slipped into his house slippers (fluffy white ones). He could tell that she had been in his apartment earlier in the week; the floorboards were gleaming, his books were neatly arranged on the bookshelf and there was a note on the fridge.

_Shiro-kun, I bought some things for you! _

_Hinamori._

His gaze swept the apartment, noting the new white throw-pillows on the couch and food in the fridge. Every time he came home, there was always something new. Why Hinamori even bothered was beyond him; he only returned back once in a few days to sleep on a bed. Although Matsumoto insisted that the couch in the office lounge was better, he never favored it much. Guess there's a difference between a captain and a vice-captain's bed.

Genius. That was the term bestowed on him, although he never asked for it. Four years ago, a place crash claimed the lives of his family and very nearly killed him too. He lay in a coma for two months, where his ghost had spoken to him. His tie with the world was weakening, and it was impossible for him to awaken by his own will. There was only one way…

It certainly wasn't an easy way, he reflected as he loosened his tie and flopped back on the bed, wincing as a fluffy teddy bear fell on his face. His ghost literally jolted him out of the coma by shocking his systems with a surge of spirit power. The emission was detected by the Hunter Corp, and there rest is history.

He lifted the teddy bear from his face and stared at it. Hinamori was making his room all _girly_. Sure he appreciated the girl's thoughtfulness of taking care of his neglected life, but this was too much.

Then again, he owed Hinamori an awful lot. Hinamori was the person closest to his age in this world of adults. She was the one who convinced him to use his powers for the greater good instead of just letting it waste away. True he learnt the Demon Arts awfully fast, but it was only because Hinamori taught them to him. Although they were initially in the same squad, she was later promoted to be the fifth division's vice-captain and he became the tenth's chief.

He wondered why he even bothered, really. If he didn't make the effort to learn, he could still be in the academy right now. If he didn't keep training, he wouldn't have unlocked his ghost's second form and became a captain. If only…

His cellphone rang and he lazily answered it without looking at the screen. "Hitsugaya."

"Shiro-kun, you're back? Why didn't you pick up your phone?" A worried voice came on the other end and he winced slightly, eyeing the innocent phone by his bed. _Hinamori_. He must have been so engrossed in his thoughts that he forgot to answer the phone. "I must have fallen asleep, sorry."

"Really… you shouldn't overwork yourself, you know." The patronizing tone he was so familiar with. In the absence of a parental figure, Hinamori had taken up the task of becoming his 'big sister' – not that he ever needed one.

"Hai hai…" He slowly got up and stared blankly at his reflection in the mirror. "Why are you calling, Hinamori?"

"Oh…" She suddenly sounded awfully guilty and he felt a punch in the gut. _I didn't have to ask. _

"Um, I think I can't make it to dinner tomorrow, Shiro-kun. Aizen-taichou needs me to follow him on an investigation. We'll eat together some other time, okay?" She added quickly, as if to console him. _As if_ he needed any consoling.

He stared at his reflection. His reflection stared emotionlessly back at him. He swore he could see Hyourinmaru lurking behind his eyes, laughing. "Sure. Work comes first, after all."

"Thank you! I'll call you later, bye bye!"

Click.

"It's no big deal, there's always another day." He said aloud to nobody in particular, but why does his voice sound so bitter? She has work to do. As a captain, he should understand that.

He _does_ understand that.

But it still doesn't explain why he felt so cheated.

* * *

**That was rather long wasn't it? Please drop a comment, thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3 Reversal

Chapter 3 - Reversal

a/n: Thanks to all who reviewed, your comments are greatly appreciated!

* * *

"Take care, onii-chan!" Yuzu's voice called after him as Ichigo dashed out of the house with a slice of toast between his teeth and both hands trying to button his shirt as he ran. He's late, late, late! Stupid Mizuiro didn't come by today and his sad excuse of a dad didn't wake him up either!

Running down the road, he dodged traffic, counting the seconds. But he was careless, too careless to cross the very last road so recklessly –

And Ichigo was quickly knocked aside and sent sprawling on the sidewalk just as a car sped by at a frightening speed. He hastily got up, fully intending to give whoever pushed him a piece of his mind – but was promptly met by a foot connecting with his privates. "Idiot!" His attacker roared.

In his haze of pain, Ichigo saw that it was a woman (a woman, for God's sake) who had done damage to his family jewels. Tall, with menacing eyes, a bandanna tied around her head and wearing a halter neck with combat slacks, she looked ready to kick him again. "Idiot!" She repeated. "Who the hell crosses a road without looking left and right? Be grateful I saved your ass, boy."

Old hag… he could only watch as she strode away and was joined by a man in a fishing vest and Bermudas. I could have ducked the car _fine_ without you doing damage -

He was jolted out of his angry thoughts when the clock chimed seven – and that means he was officially, horribly, late.

"Dammit!"

But surprisingly, he wasn't in trouble. At least he thought he wasn't. He arrived to class panting with the effort of a five-hundred meter dash, but to his dismay he shouldn't have bothered. The teacher wasn't even there.

"Yo, Ichigo!" Tatsuki acknowledged him curtly. "Did some dogs chase you or something?"

"I was chasing time," Ichigo muttered, sliding into his seat and throwing his book bag onto the empty desk next to him. After Ooshima got expelled, the seat was unoccupied. Some people said the desk was cursed, but Ichigo (who was more acquainted with curses than anyone in the whole town) could see no spirits, therefore no curse. But he preferred the desk to remain empty, so he let it slip by.

"I heard there's a new transfer student," Keigo said excitedly to Mizuiro. "Do you think it's a girl?"

"It doesn't matter, but it would be nice to have a normal girl in our class," Mizuiro said in a hushed voice. His gaze went from Scary Tatsuki, Lesbian Chizuru, to Teacher's Pet Aisuki. And the two boys shuddered.

Just then the door slid open with a bang and their Modern History teacher marched in joyfully. "Gooood morning!"

Ichigo noticed his pen had dropped and bent down to look for it, listening to Sanaika-sensei pull back her chair.

"Alright, everyone welcome your new classmate. This is Kuchiki Rukia."

"Everyone, how do you do?" An overly saccharine-laden voice made him look up in puzzlement – and he promptly fell over his chair with a loud crash.

"Kurosaki?" Sanaika-sensei inquired worriedly from the front of the class. "Are you alright?"

He winced from his ground position, his mind in a whirl. He felt like someone had hit him with a large mallet, so enormous was his shock. It's that girl! That girl who jumped from the building! But how did she – Why is she –

No point making an ever bigger idiot of yourself, a dark voice muttered in his head and he relented. "I'm fine, sensei."

"That's good. Kuchiki-san, your desk is next to Kurosaki – ah you don't need to raise your hand, Kurosaki – I'm sure she can see you just fine." Sanaika-sensei chuckled.

Rukia made her way to the desk, aware that the boy was staring at her warily. She had the impression of a wild dog under pressure, and for some reason it felt funny. She demurely took her seat and turned to smile at him. "Pleased to meet you."

He managed something that sounded like a squeak-grunt hybrid and buried his face in his textbook. No way, it can't be the girl. She got hit by the monster, didn't she? She must be heavily bandaged like a mummy somewhere, that's it. This must be one of those one-in-a-million non-related twin images he kept reading in those magazines.

But although his mind was firmly telling him to leave it, his hunch just wouldn't let it be. Kurosaki Ichigo was no believer in coincidences. Too many strange things happen consecutively, and he was sure this girl is one of them.

_Stop thinking about it_, a miniature-Ichigo appeared on his right shoulder, all smart and tidy in a business suit. You've got better things to worry about than a new student who just happened to look like some of those wierdos who came to the school.

Ichigo felt his eyebrow twitch. Does imagining one's conscience as a mini-me in a business suit qualify him for a mental institute? He was seriously losing it.

* * *

"Alright, I'll see you guys later!" Sanaika-sensei snapped her book shut as the bell rang, pulling Ichigo out of his thoughts. To his horror, he had spent the entire lesson zoning out without copying any notes whatsoever! Goddammit, he was turning into Keigo!

"Oy, what happened to you?" Tatsuki came over, frowning. "Modern History is supposed to be your best subject, so why are you frowning?"

"Hello, Kuchiki-san!" Orihine popped by and offered some wasabi sandwiches with red bean and cucumbers. "Where did you transfer from?"

"Oh, I come from Hokkaido," Rukia laughed. "My brother found work here, so here I am."

"Rukia-chan!" Keigo had butted in, brandishing his yakisoba bread like a bouquet of roses. "Come and join us for lunch! There's Mizuiro, Chad, and of course, yours truly," He struck a macho pose, but sadly Rukia didn't seem impressed. "I'm sorry, but I need to make a phone call," She declined sweetly and looked at Ichigo. In a flash, Ichigo saw it; a gleam that did not fit in with her cheerful persona. It was just a glimpse, but Ichigo had gone through many death threats to recognize this one.

_Come, or else_.

His glowering reply could be summed in one eloquent word.

_Crap._

* * *

He waited a full minute before excusing himself. He wondered where should he go when he felt it – the instinctive pull. It was like someone had him tied to a rope and was gently tugging at the other end, silently urging him. He followed the pull to the roof, where a solitary figure sat against the fence. Almost at once his face pulled into a sour frown. "So it _is_ you."

Rukia smiled. "Guess you can follow a lure, can you Kurosaki Ichigo? And judging by your earlier reaction, you weren't affected by the memory chikan either."

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo demanded, walking up until he was standing a foot away from her. "What's a chikan? And what was that monster thing you fought?"

Rukia tut-tutted, wagging a finger. "One thing at a time, Ichigo. You can't be impatient when dealing with the dead."

"Hahhh?" Ichigo was quickly losing his temper. "I don't know what you're getting at, but those stuff are definitely not ghosts. I know ghosts, see? And whatever you did to the others, it _wasn't funny_."

"Exactly," Rukia applauded, pleased. "You catch on fast."

"I – argh – just tell me what is it already. You're not here by coincidence, are you? Are there more of those things here?"

That put her in a thoughtful mode. "That would depend… on whether you're attractive enough or not." Noticing his 'bullshit' look, she fashioned her own expression into 'bitch, please.' "Not to me, idiot. I meant to the monsters, you're pretty attractive. Your spirit power, that is."

"And you would know because…?" He prodded challengingly, which she haughtily took up. "I'm from Hunter Corp, an organization that hunts down those monsters. I'm here on a – " Her explanation was interrupted when her cellphone beeped. She flipped it open with a pained look and stared at it. "I can't believe it… they should assign an AU to this town." She flipped it close and was about to return it to her pocket when it rang. She frowned before answering. "Kuchiki Rukia."

Ichigo watched her, but her face remained impassive. "I understand. I will carry out the mission." She flipped her phone shut at glanced at him. "You should return to class. There is a Hollow attack and I must take care of it."

"Hollow? Is that what you call those things?" Ichigo snorted before he felt a wave of uneasiness. There was a distant roar, like the sound of a tortured beast. The uneasiness was numbing, and he slowly looked around him, trying to determine the source. Rukia had already climbed up the fence and was looking at him strangely. "What's wrong?"

He couldn't explain it, but he was feeling extremely agitated. It was as if… as if… "Where is the attack?" He suddenly blurted out. Rukia frowned. "Straight ahead, about one and a half kilometers." With that she leapt down.

Straight ahead, one and a half kilometers. Straight ahead… one and a half kilometers… Wasn't that… Isn't that… "My house?" He mumbled hoarsely and ran up to the fence, clutching the mesh. "Oi! Rukia!"

Too late, she was already a speck in the distance. Cursing his bad luck, he thundered down the stairs.

* * *

The command center had identified it as a D-class Hollow; nothing serious. She had taken down worse before, but never in a restricted condition. Ukitake-taichou had warned her against using any high-level Kidoh, which annoyed her. She materialized her zanpakutou and jumped up to a wall, nimbly running along the narrow beam. The Hollow was visible now – a large fish-faced thing attacking a clinic. The name of the clinic barely registered in her mind before a child's scream cut through the air. Crap, he's already eaten? She launched into the air and landed on the monster's head. There, trapped in its hideous claws was a small girl, screaming for all's worth. A few people were knocked around, probably unconscious but at least they were alive. Jumping down, she swung her sword and sliced the arm right off. But her judgment was off; it was too high! Her mind whirred furiously. Should she use a Kidoh? But she had been ordered to –

"Karin!" A cry made her whip around just in time to see Ichigo catch the girl, breaking her fall. Ichigo? "You idiot, get back!" She commanded angrily. "Why did you – arghh!" Too late, she did not see the beast's other arm come down and threw her clean against a wall.

Ichigo froze to the spot in horror. His sister was coughing hard, but she didn't seem hurt. But the girl… "Rukia!"

Bits of plaster crumbled around her as she coughed out the dust that had gotten into her system. _How careless, dropping my guard in front of the enemy_. She had never, ever slipped so badly before. Was she injured worse than she thought!

A throbbing pain in her right arm nearly made her cry out in frustration. To add insult to injury, her arm is now broken, making her zanpakutou useless.

"Rukia!" She raised her head painfully to see Ichigo running towards her. "You're – you're…"

"You don't have to say it…" She muttered weakly and narrowed her eyes when the Hollow turned towards them. "Blast spell 15: Thunderbolt!" She summoned and a large lightningbolt struck the monster in the face, sending it howling into nothingness. She breathed hard, the strain of using Kidoh disrupting her spirit energy. _Dammit… I'm breathing hard from just using a low grade-Kidoh? _

Ichigo gaped in amazement as the Hollow faded. "It's…"

"Not dead," Rukia pushed a large block of plaster off her and leant against the wall, trying to clear her head. "It's going to come back soon. Damn," She cursed bitterly. Her arm broken, Kidoh unusable – just how bad can a day get? She considered calling for backup, but they probably wouldn't be able to arrive in time. She eyed the boy who was checking the unconscious people. She could tell they were alive – maybe they'd have a bad headache later but nothing a memory chikan can't fix. However, she had a far more urgent matter to address, such as…

How to get out of this alive.

She eyed him again. That girl must have been his sister – she could see some resemblance, but not much. Add the fact that she was currently sprawled opposite the Kurosaki Family Clinic – well she had a good idea why he came after her.

She couldn't understand why she felt so upset. She shouldn't have been thrown off balance so easily, yet…

No time, hissed Logic. Hurry up and think of something!

She got to her feet and slowly walked up to him. "How is everyone?" She asked calmly, ignoring her agonized arm. Ichigo nodded, relief spread out on his face. "They're okay, just knocked out – " And halted when the tip of a sword was pointed to his neck. His gaze went from the gleaming tip, then up the blade towards the expressionless girl pointing it.

Time seemed to slow down then. His heart, which had gone through near-arrest twice today began to slow down in fear. Her eyes were cold and dark; the fathomless violet of nothingness. His senses seemed hyper-sensitive all the sudden – why did her blood drip down _so loud_? "…Rukia?" He managed, feeling the edge of the blade brush his skin when he spoke. Her hand remained steady, her gaze unreadable. "This is all your fault."

The bewilderment vanished, replaced by disbelief. "Huh?"

"Your family was attacked because of you, Ichigo. Your spirit power attracts monsters like them who prey on souls with strong spiritual power. This won't be the last time," She accused ruthlessly. "More and more monsters will come, and you with your mortal strength will not even be able to scratch them. Now I'm offering you a chance. Do you want to redeem yourself and save your family?"

His eyes darted to his unconscious father and sisters, then to the patients lying on the floor. All of them came to be treated, to return home well. His father, his sisters, everyone…

Everything could have been lost if you didn't come when you did. You could have lost your family without knowing it.

"How do I save them?" He asked finally and he saw a faint glimmer in her eyes, but only for a moment. The hardness returned and the blade was withdrawn. "I will ask you to die for them," She said simply, readying her sword again, ignoring his shocked expression. "I will stab your Soul Sleep with this zanpakutou and shock you with a burst of spirit power, and if it works, you will gain power to fight the Hollow."

"You don't sound very confident," He managed a wry reply and she nodded slightly. "This may or may not work. I have no guarantee that it will work, nor do I guarantee your life. But it's all I can think of right now."

A dull roar from a distant point made him narrow his eyes. "Get on with it, Rukia."

A thin smile blossomed on her lips. They were on the edge of a cliff and there was no backing out. "Don't regret it, Ichigo." She drew back and in one swift thrust, stabbed him through the chest.

* * *

He didn't quite catch what happened until a sharp pain tore a strangled gasp from his throat. Almost immediately, another strong surge of pain knocked him out completely.

_Ichigo…_

He dazedly opened his eyes, then blinked. And blinked again.

Nothing. He frowned and felt something cold land on his nose. Glaring down, he saw a single speck of – snow.

Before he could fully figure out why was there a snowflake on his nose, his nothingness suddenly disappeared, leaving him to float in a whirl of snowflakes. A snowstorm. He twisted this way and that, trying to find a way out but everywhere he looked was white; completely, dazzlingly white. It swirled before his eyes until he could no longer tell whether he was standing up or on his head, whether he was looking up or down or if he was even sane anymore.

And then the whiteness exploded, causing him to fall to his knees.

It hurt. The snowflakes had vanished just as suddenly as they had invaded his vision, and he felt something in his grip. Something heavy and pulsing with life.

Rukia collapsed against the wall, clutching her wounded arm in pain. It worked… her crazy idea had worked. "Now fight, Ichigo," She whispered before dropping down in exhaustion.

Ichigo stared at the katana – no, he had no right to call it a katana. It was huge, probably as long as he was tall. But it wasn't heavy at all. He gripped it, feeling the reassuring feel of the sword firmly in his hand.

And not a moment too soon. The fish-faced Hollow reappeared with a vengeance, its stump of an arm waving madly. Ichigo stood his ground, feeling the sword pulse with excitement. It wants to cut. Then he will let it cut. Yelling out his anger, Ichigo ran straight for the monster and swung the sword upwards with all his might. "Take that, fish-face!"

The sword tore a jagged crack in the ground, lifting up to cleave the monster clean in two. As it gave its dying shriek, Ichigo managed a smirk of triumph – before passing out.

Rukia breathed deeply, finally able to relax. She fished in her pocket for her cellphone, but to her horror it was broken! Her mind rewinded back to the moment she got thrown against the wall and realized that although she managed to withstand the blow, her cellphone didn't. "Oh no way…"

"Having trouble?"

She quickly looked up to see a man in a striped hat and a black gi crouching on the wall. His eyes were hidden under the hat, and only the corner of a grin could be seen behind the paper fan he was holding up. "Need help, shinigami-san?"

* * *

Please tell me what you think! 


	4. Chapter 4 Sleeping With Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 4 Sleeping With Eyes Wide Open

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

* * *

Ichigo slowly awoke, the peacefulness of the morning rousing him from his sleep. For a moment he wondered why that woke him – until he heard a distant voice. 

"Goood morrrrningggggg" Something was fast approaching his door with alarming velocity and Ichigo swiftly twisted up just as his door burst open and a flying leg soared towards him. "ICHIGOOOO – Gah!"

Ichigo swore vehemently as he pressed his father's face to the floor, the dangerous leg now safely nullified. "What the hell are you doing, bastard! Are you trying to see if you can kill your son in his sleep? Huh!"

"Gah – You're indeed my son, Ichigo!" Kurosaki Isshin gasped for air (his son had pinched his nose shut).

Ichigo was about to present a scathing reply when he heard Yuzu's voice calling them down to breakfast. "Daddy! Onii-san! Breakfast!"

For a moment Ichigo was confused, and then he hurriedly pulled his father up by the collar. "You guys are okay? None of you are hurt?"

"Huh? Oh, no. The truck crashed into the house while everyone was in the clinic," Isshin managed a thumbs up, grinning.

If this was an anime, Ichigo would have multiple question marks popping around his head right now. "Truck!" He choked, running down the stairs and outside.

The wall was just as he remembered – smashed through. The wall across the road too – that was when – when –

"Onii-san?" Yuzu chirpily called from the kitchen. "Hurry up or you'll be late for school."

He dazedly looked around and saw the jagged tear in the road.

It wasn't a dream, he realized. He really did fight a fish-faced freak yesterday, during lunch break –

And missed the entire afternoon lessons!

"Onii-san, is your fever okay now?" Yuzu had come out to pull her brother back inside. "You came back in the afternoon saying you were sick and slept the whole day and night through! Do you feel better now?"

"Ah… uh…" He dumbly followed her inside and sat at the table, watching his father and Karin fight over a piece of toast. For some reason he felt really, really relieved. His father was safe, his sisters were safe…

_Do you want to save your family?_

He clapped his hand to his neck at the chilling memory. Nothing. His chest was… okay too. An illusion? But he felt the pain. He remembered that instant when death was one of the two outcomes…

And the girl who presented those options.

* * *

Ukitake stretched noisily, feeling the muscles in his shoulders protest. He had been working five hours straight and badly needed coffee. "Sentarou, can you take care of the paperwork for a while?" 

"Yes sir!" The enthusiastic man almost ran to his captain's desk if it wasn't for Kiyone's hissing restraint. "Taichou, I'll help too!" She called out cheerfully and glared at Sentarou. "Don't you dare think you'll be doing it alone."

"Stop copying me, booger-girl!" Sentarou furiously took the seal and began to approve the papers in front of him, skimming the reports briefly. Kiyone retaliated by grabbing the seal and working twice as fast, grinning maniacally. "Well you can just leave it to me because I work twice as fast as you, tortoise."

"Hah! I work three times faster, so there."

"Haaaah!"

"You got a problem with that, copycat!"

"Yes I DO."

None of them noticed that among the reports that they had approved, one most certainly should have been read first.

FROM: KUCHIKI RUKIA, 13TH DIVISION.

SUBJECT: CANDIDATE SURVAILLENCE

_Concerning the subject in question, Kurosaki Ichigo (15). Despite Captain Hitsugaya's suggestion, it appears he may not be a suitable candidate for the Academy of Spiritual Arts. His spiritual power fluctuated too rapidly and would require extensive training not available at the facility. I hereby request permission to remain in Karakura Town, supervise him and Karakura Town until he is fit to enter the Academy._

* * *

Rukia held her breath as a message came through. Fumbling with her left hand, she managed to click the right buttons to display the message. PERMISSION GRANTED. KARAKURA TOWN IS NOW UNDER KUCHIKI RUKIA'S SUPERVISION UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. 

She heaved a deep sigh and switched the PC off. She didn't have high hopes for her request, but it must be a good day at HQ if her report was processed this quickly.

She glanced down at her plaster cast arm. It took her all night, but she managed to come up with a plan to hide her current condition. She couldn't return to HQ with a broken arm and no spiritual power – it would cause an uproar, not to mention the shame. Neither could she explain how she lost her power without telling them she had transferred her powers to an ordinary human. No, she must keep it a secret. Until she had fully healed and her power restored, she must pretend that everything is alright.

And to do that, she needed a certain orange-head's cooperation.

"Are you done with the PC, Kuchiki-san?" An overly happy voice floated from the front room and she hurriedly got up. Sitting at a low table was the same man who approached her last night, also still in his black gi and striped hat. A stubble growth on his chin lent to the scruffiness of his overall appearance, but Rukia wasn't fooled. For the millionth time she wondered why was this man sitting in a dilapidated shop in the suburbs, engaging in shady business.

But only the man knew the answer to that, so it was a rather rhetorical question, really.

"What did the higher ups say?" He inquired politely and she shrugged. "They approved my request. They didn't even question why my report came through an unknown channel rather than my personal frequency. Must have been a lucky break."

"Luck favors those who gamble," He said, grinning. "Speaking of which, how are you going to go about it now, Kuchiki-san?"

She shot him a glance. "Is my command receiver ready, Urahara?"

"Certainly," He produced a box with flourish and Rukia clumsily opened it. "This is a one-way command receiver. As the name suggests, you can only use it to receive Hollow alerts and such, but you can't report back and they can't trace you. I assume you don't want to be contacted, do you?"

"Not until I'm done with my work here," She muttered as she switched on the command receiver. "I requested that they don't contact me unless it's really important anyway, so it's not likely that they'll come anytime soon. My original mission period was three weeks, so I'm still safe within that time."

"You thought things thoroughly," Urahara said approvingly, but there was a strange gleam in his eyes. "Anyway, please keep the command receiver with you always, and take care of it. Repairs will not be cheap,"

She shot him a dirty look, mentally cursing the grinning man. Already he had fleeced quite a lot from her just to acquire memory modifiers, medical treatment and the command receiver. Not to mention he even charged her for using the PC! "You're a salesman through and though," She muttered as she got to her feet. "I can't believe you are the same man who taught us how to find our 'ghosts'."

"People can change," He grinned. "And Kuchiki-san?"

She halted and glanced over her shoulder questioningly.

"Lending the boy your 'ghost' is a good idea, but it will wear you down eventually. You should prioritize your own recovery over his training."

"…I know that," She closed the screen door behind her and proceeded to the front door. _I know that, but I can't do anything about it. It was a desperate gamble, after all._

* * *

"Gah, why can't you be sitting under a tree like every other girl?" An irritated voice from the stairwell made her look up and smile. "Hello, Ichigo. Did you sleep well?" 

He marched up to her and eyed her plaster cast. "My family thinks the house got hit by a truck." He said bluntly.

"Did they tell you that the truck was carrying steel bars?" Rukia inquired pleasantly, enjoying the vein that was popping right above his left eye. "After all, I had to find an explanation for the tear in the road, you know."

He morosely sat next to her and tapped his head. "I thought I was going crazy, listening to things that didn't happen. And the things that did happen doesn't seem to make sense."

"Such as?"

"Such as how you frickin' stabbed me but I don't have a scar, but your arm's in a happy plaster cast," He pointed out crossly. "You got some explanation to do, shorty."

It was her turn to twitch. She didn't appreciate being called anything that implied her lack of height, but as much as she was tempted to truss him up like a turkey, she couldn't do it with one arm. "What do you want to know, then?"

"You said you hunt those things. Why?"

"That's a stupid question." Snorted Rukia. "They're monsters who feed on human souls. It is our duty as Hunters to protect the humans by purifying the Hollows."

"Riiight… I grew out of the superhero thing ages ago." Ichigo guffawed, earning him a hard shove from a plaster cast. "I'm serious! We're an organization whose sole purpose is to seek and destroy. How hard is that to believe?"

"Real hard," Ichigo was still laughing. "I for one, don't believe in this 'doing something for nothing' crap. Sorry, but you're gonna try harder than that. Unless you say you're from a Buddhist sect or some Vatican missionary, then I'd probably – "

"We have a Hollow," Interrupted Rukia, looking down at her phone. "At a children's park not far from here."

"So? You're not going to fight with that, are you?" He looked doubtfully at her bandaged arm. Rukia sighed and grabbed his hand. "I'm not fighting. You are."

"Eh!"

Whirl!

There was a sudden burst of light and Ichigo nearly screamed when a large sword materialized in his hand. Rukia nodded with satisfaction. "As I thought. You can't use your zanpakutou unless I'm here. I have to touch you to activate your spirit power."

"Wh – Wh – ehhhhh?" He felt her drag him towards the fence. "Let's go."

"Eh? Wait! You don't expect me to – "

"You won't die, trust me," Rukia had already climbed up to the top of the fence, tapping her foot impatiently. "As long as you're able to use your spirit power, you won't get hurt from a jump this high. Hurry!"

As much as he wanted to trust her, logic dictates that anything falling off seven stories will definitely break into pieces. But all protests were cut short when she gave him a hard shove – over the fence. "Kyaaa!"

"Stop screaming, dumbass!" She roared as she followed suit. "People will see you and think you're committing suicide or something!"

"I think I am!" He roared in reply as he twisted around to look down. The ground was rapidly coming up to meet him and he braced his legs for impact. "Listening to you will definitely get me killed!"

She growled a reply he couldn't fathom before he hit the ground and rolled around to absorb the impact. The zipping pain was a shock, but surprisingly it wasn't as terrible as he expected.

Rukia landed with the grace of a cat and stood up without hardly a damage. Hardly. Her legs hurt a little, but she expected as much. After all, she hardly had any spirit power to cushion the impact. Without losing a breath, she grabbed him by the sleeve. "Hurry, hurry. You're really slow, do you know that?"

"I don't need to be told that by you!" He snapped as he stumbled after her. "Can't I get rid of this sword first? People will think I'm a mass murderer or something!"

"No one can see that monstrosity, so shut it," Rukia said, her attention obviously elsewhere. He gave up trying to argue reason with her and let her pull him wherever she wants.

They arrived at the park in good time and Rukia let go of his arm. He frowned as he scanned the surroundings, but didn't see anything other than a boy playing on the slide. "Ceh, the kid doesn't know when to quit," he muttered. She cast him a sideways glance. "Do you know the boy?"

"Yeah. A ghost who's waiting for his mom," Ichigo scratched his head. "I keep telling him his mom is waiting on the other side, but he just won't give up."

"I see," She muttered. "Child ghosts are the most difficult to reason with since they're so stubborn. Forcefully making them go to the other side will result in a great deal of pain, which might explain why he's still here."

"Huh?"

Rukia hastily changed the subject. "Here it comes."

One of these days he's going to ask how she can tell these kind of things. But as of the moment, his attention was taken by the large… thing (for lack of a better descriptive word) that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was large, but not as big as the fish-face he had to take on yesterday.

"Hit the face," Rukia instructed calmly, ignoring the Hollow that was lumbering around the park, trying to get the screaming boy-ghost. "The Hollow will only die if you break its mask."

He was still frozen to the spot, not quite sure what to do when she kicked him forward. "Hurry up!"

"Dammit, you don't just throw a guy into the ring unprepared!" He roared angrily, but he regretted it immediately after. His angry yell had attracted the Hollow's attention and it was now looking at him, its hollow eyes looking…hungry?

"Compared to the little fry that the boy-ghost is, you're the main dish," Rukia said almost gleefully. "Unless you want to die, I suggest you kill it quickly."

"Aren't you just the kindest soul on earth," He grit his teeth and gripped his sword properly. Hit the mask… hit the mask… how the hell was he supposed to hit the mask! Can he even hit the mask? How did he do it the last time?

Rukia studied him seriously. As expected, he was floundering. Yesterday, he was driven by the desire to save the people dearest to him, but that motivation doesn't exist in this situation. Unfortunately, this is how things are going to be from now on.

The Hollow lunged and Ichigo dove for cover under the swing set. "Why aren't you helping me?" He shouted at her, just beyond the playground.

"You must learn to deal with it yourself," She replied calmly. "Rely on no one else but yourself and your sword."

Teach by example, huh? A classroom method gone wrong, I think. Ichigo cursed and darted out from under the swing. In the few seconds he wasted with Rukia, the Hollow had turned its attention back to the ghost-boy, and Ichigo felt a ripple of anger. "Don't turn your back on me, you freak!" He roared and leapt up to swing down on the monster's head, the white mask of the Hollow making a sickening crack as Ichigo split it down it twain. It gave one last howl before exploding into dust, and Ichigo landed in an undignified heap on the ground.

Rukia approached the two and knelt down before the trembling boy. "Are you alright?"

The boy could only nod and Rukia reached for Ichigo's hand. "Poor child. Are you waiting for your mother?"

Ichigo watched in amazement as Rukia lifted his hand, still holding the zanpakutou and facing the hilt towards the boy. Her face held such gentle care that he forgot everything else…everything but the three of them.

"Close your eyes," She said kindly, still smiling and the boy did just that. And then, ever so gently, she tapped the hilt of the zanpakutou to his forehead, and where it touched a glowing seal appeared. A circle of light appeared under the boy and in an instant he disappeared, leaving no trace of ever existing.

Rukia turned her attention to him and the stoic mask was back on. "That was a Konsoh, a ceremony to let spirits pass on. That is also the duty of a Hunter aside from killing Hollows, and something you must know."

He finally found his voice and scowled. "You could have used your own zanpakutou."

"You won't learn if I did." Was her bland reply as she got up. "Come on, we'll miss Math if we don't hurry."

"W-What! You still can say that after making me miss an entire afternoon yesterday!"

"First, put away the zanpakutou," She instructed and he frowned again. "How?"

"Just will it away," She shrugged and he looked at the sword in his hand. Will it away…? He imagined holding nothing, and to his surprise the sword really did disappear. "…ah?"

"Willing your power away is much easier than materializing it," She explained. "Much like how easy it is to fall asleep, but waking up is another matter."

"You could have chosen another analogy,' he grumbled as he dusted down his shirt and she looked at him in a deadpan manner. "Such as?"

"I don't know…" They began to walk back to the school. "How it's easier to forget things than to commit them to memory, or…"

"Oh? Do you find it difficult to remember things then?"

"I DO NOT!"

* * *

Reviews if you read, please 


	5. Chapter 5 Prelude to Tears

**Prelude to Tears.**

Thanks to all who reviewed, I appreciate it very much! Please enjoy the new chapter.

* * *

She woke up gasping, sweat droplets staining the sheets. The cool night air clung to her skin and raised goosebumps all over, but she didn't really notice that.

Inoue Orihime always had weird dreams, but this… this was just _too_ weird.

"Onii-chan…" She mumbled, feeling around for her alarm clock. The numerals lit up; it was only two a.m. and she was already too agitated to sleep. There was nii-chan, her dear brother wearing a hideous mask… her brother reaching out to her…

Her distressed thought lulled her to sleep, and when morning came Orihime did not remember anything at all.

* * *

The bell signifying the end of the class, also the end of the day, also the end of the school week rang and an unanimous cheer rose throughout the school. The weekend is here!

"Ichigo!" Keigo twirled in front of him. "Let's go karaoke today!"

"Can't, I have clinic duty," Ichigo said gruffly and missed Keigo shattering into a million disappointed pieces. "B-b-But W-_Why_?" Keigo burbled. "I went through all the trouble to book a good room and _service _and it took so much effort to invite Inoue-san and Rukia-chan as well!"

Ichigo raised a weary eyebrow at Rukia, who was beaming in her chirpy way. He swore he could see sparkly stars around her whenever she put up that façade. And the damnest thing was, he couldn't do a single thing about it.

"None of us are going karaoke today," Tatsuki had appeared. "I'm going shopping with Orihime and Kuchiki-san. Go with Chizuru and Aisawa instead."

Keigo's dismayed cry could be heard all the way to the next town, but that's Keigo for you.

"Overdramatic," Was Tatsuki's comment as they walked together. Rukia giggled. "He is a bit of a drama queen, isn't he?"

"Keigo makes mountains out of molehills… sometimes out of nothing at all. His sole aim in life is to exaggerate an ant into a dinosaur and aggravate us because of it," Tatsuki explained, much to Rukia's amusement.

"Ano… can we stop by Kurosaki Clinic first?" Orihime blushed a little. Tatsuki raised an eyebrow in question. "Why?"

"I want to get some sleeping pills… I've been having trouble sleeping lately," She explained.

"Eh… that's good. And we can ask Ichigo to give it for free too!" Tatsuki chuckled evilly, always pleased to wreck havoc on her childhood friend's life. "Give it up girl, you want to invite him along with us, don't you?"

Orihime blushed again and Rukia gave a knowing grin. Tatsuki groaned and scratched her head. "What is it about that jerk that you like, Hime? He's strange, he's cold, his hair's a weird color – "

"It's his face!" Orihime said with delight and Rukia frowned a little. His face? She tried to imagine him, scowl and all, and found nothing she liked.

"When he scowls…" Orihime suddenly giggled and began to laugh; "It's the best!"

Tatsuki rolled her eyes and leaned towards Rukia. "When she begins rambling, I have no idea where her imagination takes her. Don't take it seriously."

Rukia sweatdropped and nodded. In truth, she had to agree with Tatsuki. Ichigo was a walking mass of complexities that she could hardly begin to describe. Talking to him seriously made her head ache, and that was only the beginning. Thankfully, there were no more Hollow attacks after the playground incident, which gave her time to breathe. And to plan out her next move. It was imperative that he grasped the basics of Hollow hunting as quickly as possible so that she could concentrate on her own recovery.

"Welcome!" Kurosaki Isshin, the resident doctor of the clinic greeted the three girls as they came in through the door. His eyes lit up in excitement. "Oh, you're Ichigo's girlfriends? How beautiful you are!" he waltzed over to kiss their hands but was effectively kicked aside by a pissed-off Ichigo. "Hands to yourself, old man!"

"Um, we're his classmates," Tatsuki explained, already used to the strange Kurosaki family dynamics.

"I came to see if I can get sleeping pills," Orihime explained and Ichigo frowned at her. "Having trouble sleeping?"

"Of course!" Isshin had gotten up, unaware of his bloody nose. "A lovely girl like you must be having trouble sleeping without a warm body to keep you comfo – " Again he was kicked aside, this time more viciously. "Keep your mind out of the gutter, you pervert!"

"Here they are!" Yuzu appeared out of nowhere with a small bag. "The dosage is on the label, please read it carefully in case you overdose it!" the girl beamed and did a little comical curtsey.

"Eh… the clinic doesn't look very busy," Tatsuki remarked nonchalantly as she surveyed the…empty clinic. Isshin got up, now nursing a bloody nose and a large bump on his head. "Indeed! So why don't you take the afternoon off and accompany these lovely girls, Ichigo? A healthy boy like you must learn to woo the ladies!"

"Don't decide my afternoons so freely," Ichigo muttered through gritted teeth but caught Rukia out of the corner of his eye. She nodded discretely with _that_ look in her eye.

_Come, or else._

He stifled the urge to choke her. "Fine," He growled and stomped upstairs to change. _When is it that that pint-sized terror could order me around with a single **look**?_

"Is he coming with us?" Orihime seemed in awe and Tatsuki patted her head. "It's your lucky day, Hime."

As they walked, somehow Ichigo fell in step with Rukia and gave her a glare. _Why did you drag me for?_

She responded by beaming a fake smile at him. "It's a lovely day, isn't it Kurosaki-kun?"

_It'd be lovelier if it didn't involve you_, was what he wanted to say but was cut off when Orihime pointed at something in the sky. "Look! That cloud over there… doesn't it look like a wasabi sandwich?"

All three friends sweatdropped. "Ano… I can get the sandwich part, but why…wasabi?" ventured Rukia, to which Ichigo elbowed her. "If she says it's wasabi, then don't ask," he hissed. Too late, Orihime was off on a tangent about how those blobs on the left looked like wasabi; or could it be cucumber? Thank god Tatsuki was more than used to her and listened to her explanation with half attention.

"They seem to be pretty good friends," Rukia noted, to which Ichigo shrugged. "Tatsuki's family looks after Orihime… sort of. After her brother passed away some years ago, she's been living alone."

"She lives alone?" Rukia did little to hide her amazement. "Her?" The girl who imagines wasabi sandwiches in clouds?

"Well she gets money from some distant relatives, but Tatsuki pretty much looks after her. What's up? You're pretty interested in her, aren't you?"

Rukia shrugged off the question. "Just asking."

"Getting friendly with your classmates now, huh?"

"I hear you're quite the anti-social," Rukia pretended to study her nails. "What do _you _know about your classmates?"

He bit back a retort and stomped moodily after the other two girls.

* * *

Friday afternoon meant that the town center was jam-packed with people, most of them students out to enjoy the beginnings of the weekend. As was the habit, Orihime clung to Tatsuki, and out of necessity, Rukia clutched Ichigo's sleeve. "There are so may people," She said, half in awe. Ichigo arched an eyebrow. "It's Friday, what do you expect? The kids are all lining up at the malls and the movies."

Rukia shifted uneasily as they squeezed past a large group. Whenever she left on missions, the others would shield her from the crowds. On her days off, she would follow Renji to the nearest town, but even that wasn't as packed as Karakura on a Friday afternoon. And she knew that Ichigo won't shield her even if she asked.

"Ah! Isn't that Sado-kun?" Orihime perked up and waved. "Sado-kun!"

Rukia could see how Orihime spotted him – even Rukia with her diminutive height could spot the tall boy. He was standing in front of a pet shop with a guitar slung across his back. Seeing the four teenagers, he raised a hand in silent greeting.

"What are you doing here, Chad?" Ichigo frowned and Rukia suddenly squealed. "Ich – Kurosaki-kun! Bunnies!" She tugged his sleeve and he looked at her in disbelief. "What about them?"

"Aren't they cute?"

"Are you looking for a pet, Sado?" Tatsuki asked. "It's kindda weird to think of you with a pet."

"…" Sado pointed to a shop across the street. "My friend went to sell a bird."

"A bird?"

"Parakeet."

All eyes turned to the bird shop across the road. One of the biggest in town, it was filled with twittering and squawking birds of all shapes, colors and sizes. "Where did he get the bird from then?"

"…Found it." He mumbled after a _very_ pregnant pause.

"I suppose there's more to the story but you're just lazy to spell it out, huh?" Tatsuki remarked wryly. Just then a youth emerged from the shop, a white birdcage in one hand. In it was a beautiful parakeet, pure white with its yellow comb and black beak. Upon seeing the group, the bird suddenly spoke. "Hello!"

"Oh, it can speak!" Orihime clapped her hands in delight. "Try my name! Orihime! Say 'Orihime'!"

"Orihime," The bird parroted obediently. "Nice to meet you."

"That's a pretty good talker," Ichigo scratched his head and noticed Rukia staring hard at the bird. Bending down, he nudged her. "Oi."

Rukia suddenly tapped the cage sharply. "How long have you been in there?"

"Whoa, what kind of question is that?" Tatsuki asked and was startled when the bird suddenly started to flap about in its cage, screeching madly. "Look, you scared it, Kuchiki-san!"

Rukia did not let up her frown, though she could only watch as Sado and Orihime tried to calm it down. After a while though, Sado excused himself and walked away, an indignant, squawking bird shaking the cage.

"You really must be unpopular with birds, Kuchiki-san," Orihime commented dazedly. "Did you steal any bird eggs before?"

It wasn't until when they had gone twice around the mall and made Ichigo carry all their shopping did he finally get to ask her about it. "What was that about?" He muttered, trying to peer at her over a large teddy bear that Orihime bought. Rukia looked up at him. "The bird?"

"Hm."

"… I will tell you about it later," Rukia's offhanded way of replying ticked him off.

By definition of 'later', she certainly didn't mean anytime in the near future, thought Ichigo as he watched her examine a novelty toy. It was a rubber hammer that squeaked every time you use it to hit something, and she was curiously hitting everything she could reach just to see how it squeaks. Tatsuki was looking at a new pair of flipflops, probably in anticipation of the summer that was around the corner.

Feeling seriously left out, Ichigo walked up to the lesser of two evils (he needed an excuse to come to up Tatsuki and Rukia didn't need one) and took the hammer out of her hand, noting that the other was still firmly in its cast. "One would think you've never played with a rubber hammer before, idiot."

"But how does it squeak, Ichigo?" There was childlike-fascination in her eyes that completely threw him off-whack. "Huh?"

"I always saw them in shops but my brother won't let me buy them. And after a while I sort of lost interest. But it's really fascinating."

Ichigo sweat-dropped. "You're weird. Seriously."

"What are you guys doing?" Tatsuki came up to them, the flipflops in her hand. "Kuchiki-san, is this jerk bugging you?"

"Oh no, Kurosaki-kun was just explaining to me how this toy squeaked," Rukia put on her best smile and hit Ichigo with the rubber hammer, causing the boy to flinch. God, he felt _ridiculous_. He needed a change of topic before Rukia asked him to explain anything else. "Where's Inoue?"

"Grocery shopping across the street. She said something about Peanut-butter leek – "

CRASH!

There was a screech and the sound of a collision, and the three students hastily made for the exit. Outside, the shop face a busy crossroad. And in the street, lying still with groceries scattered about her…

"Hime!" Tatsuki cried as she rushed to her friend's aid and just managed to catch a glimpse of the rear end of a Rover speeding away. "Ditz! Watch where you're going!!" The driver hollered and Tatsuki angrily gave him the finger. "Watch yourself, moron!"

"Are you alright, Inoue?" Rukia helped Orihime up and the dazed girl clutched her head. "I… what happened?"

"Some idiot almost ran you over," Tatsuki helped Orihime back to the shade of the buildings while Rukia and Ichigo gathered up her scattered groceries. "Were you trying to cross a red light or something?"

"I don't know," Orihime dazedly looked around. "Did you see who pushed me?"

"Pushed you? Someone pushed you to the road?" Tatsuki's anger was rising again and Orihime hastily placated her. "No no, someone pushed me away at the last minute – I did feel someone," Orihime rubbed her shoulders and winced. "He was pretty rough about it too."

"We saw no one when we arrived," Rukia offered. "Maybe it was your imagination."

"…Ha!" Orihime suddenly laughed in embarrassment. "That must be it! The Onion Gods must have protected the onions!" She pounced on her shopping and Rukia stilled the twitch in her eyebrow. "I swear I don't see how she lives alone."

"Well it's getting late. Thanks for coming along, Ichigo," Tatsuki nodded to Ichigo and Rukia while Orihime busied herself with assessing the damage to her groceries. "I'll take her back. Why don't you take Kuchiki-san home, Ichigo?"

"Yes Kurosaki-kun please, I have a _lot_ of shopping," Rukia cheerfully indicated to the bags and waved her plaster-cast arm. _I have a lot to explain too._

"…pint-sized tyrant."

* * *

And I'll have to leave it at that. Please tell me what you think! (nudges the 'Review' button) 


	6. Chapter 6 The First Night

**Chapter 6 The First Night**

Disclaimer: Bleach and all of its elements belong to Kubo Tite.

* * *

"Welcome home, onii-san!" Yuzu cheerfully greeted her brother as he stepped through the door. "Did you have a good day?"

Ichigo was about to answer when he felt a chill – and a pair of gleaming eyes staring evilly at him from the consultation room. So instead of replying cordially, he only scowled. "It was fine." He said briskly (if only to spite his father). It worked. The gleaming eyes disappeared, replaced by a heavy depression. Faintly Ichigo could hear faint mutterings like '_My son won't discuss his date with me…'. It wasn't a date you pervert_, Ichigo growled mentally as he stomped up the stairs.

Falling on his bed, he breathed deeply and stared up at the ceiling. True he wasn't exhausted physically, but his mind was tired and sluggish. Who wouldn't, after being forced to take in so many things at once?!

"_Hollows are fallen souls," Rukia had explained as she sat on a swing. "In the circumstance where the soul is separated from the body, it's still connected via the Chain Link. You are only truly considered dead when your Chain Link is broken."_

"_I still don't get how those souls I see every day can become something like that fish-faced freak."_

"_It will happen, if the soul is left too long without anyone performing Konsoh on it," Rukia held up a finger. "The Chain Link will eventually deteriorate and once it disappears completely, the soul becomes a Hollow."_

_Simple enough, he could follow that. "And?"_

"_It's lonely, dying like that isn't it?" Rukia had a cynical smile on her face. "Souls wander the world, watching their loved ones continue with their lives while it can't pass on. It's a pitiful existence, but some souls just won't give up their mortal lives. And somehow or other, in some souls, that longing turns to bitterness, and bitterness turns to hatred."_

_Ichigo felt a chill down his spine. "…Hatred?"_

"_You've heard of a husband dying and his wife following shortly after, right?" Rukia pushed herself on the swing. "People conjure a lot of theories about it, but really, the soul of the husband took the wife away. But turning into a Hollow is a painful, painful transformation." Her eyes darkened. "Because of the pain," She pointed suddenly to Ichigo; "People with high spiritual power like you become a target."_

"_So I'm like aspirin to a Hollow, huh?" He replied wryly and she grinned in return. "More like a chocolate-topped sundae. You're a really sweet dessert in Hollow standards."_

"_That's not reassuring!" Ichigo bit out. "Then, how come I've never seen those things before?"_

"_How am I supposed to know that? The point is, you've got to fight for yourself now," Rukia replied irritably. "Furthermore, my original mission was to scout you, measure your potential and possibly see if you're fit to join us."_

"_I'll pass." Ichigo said flatly, much to her horror. "What?!"_

"_Fight for myself, fine. Fight for people I care about, fine. But I'm not gonna make it a calling," he folded his arms across his chest. "I'm not that nice a guy to risk my life for strangers."_

_She studied him darkly before sighing. "I'm going."_

_He frowned. "Where?"_

"_Home, of course. It's almost sundown, don't you see?" She brushed down her skirt and started to walk to the main road with her shopping swinging in her hand. It was quite clear that she was perfectly capable of carrying her shopping on her own, the tyrant. Ichigo frowned. "Oh, you're staying with your brother huh? Does he know you do this kind of thing?"_

"_Idiot, that was a cover story," Rukia laughed. "The Hunter HQ gave me an apartment for the duration of the mission. So I'll be seeing you."_

"Onii-san, the bath is ready," Yuzu poked her head into her brother's room and noticed him lying facedown on the bed. "Ichi-nii, are you alright?"

He said something that vaguely resembled 'fine' before turning to face the wall. Yuzu frowned. Her brother was acting really strange lately… "I'll call you when dinner's ready," She said brightly.

* * *

Rukia unlocked the door to her apartment and stepped in, careful to arrange her shoes ready to be used anytime. The apartment was furnished with minimal necessities, and despite being uninhabited for a long time, showed no trace of dirt.

She carefully sat on the couch and noted the two trunks in the corner. One of them was filled with school necessities, the other was her own trunk of clothing. Being busy, she hadn't found the time to unpack yet, and didn't feel like it either with one arm in a cast.

Actually…

She tugged the cast off and examined her arm. Not even a scar. Catching herself, she shook her head ruefully. Of course there isn't a scar, this isn't any ordinary healing. And the healer isn't any ordinary healer either. But she decided that wearing the cast was a good excuse to not use her powers, and would provoke less questions from the boy.

Fatigue began to make itself known and she leaned against the cushions, closing her eyes.

But even in her hour of need, reprieve would not be given. Her command receiver began to beep madly and as she lifted the receiver to her gaze, her eyes widened.

* * *

"This pillow is for you!" Orihime happily pushed a fluffy lime-green pillow into Tatsuki's arms. "And this one is for me!" She gleefully hugged a strawberry-shaped pillow to her ample bosom. "Ah, do you want a matching futon, Tatsuki-chan?"

Tatsuki could only grin wryly, knowing fully well that the only spare futon in the house was lime green and she would be stuck with it no matter what she said. "That'd be good."

"And I have so many great movies!" Orihime pulled out a stack and handed them one by one to the surprised girl. "The Attack of the Shining Marble Aliens! Oh, this one's a romantic comedy – I Spilled the Cake on Your Cat! Or should be go for action? Men In Black?"

"Men In Black sounds safe," Tatsuki ventured cautiously. She wasn't too sure about the other titles, given that she didn't even know people make movies with those titles. She was here for a weekend sleepover, not a C-movie marathon. "Shouldn't we have dinner before watching a movie, Orihime? Or have you eaten?"

"Nope! Ah, did you bring that?" She pointed to a large covered bowl and promptly uncovered it. "Waaai! It's Tatsuki-chan's beef and potato stew! Do you think it'd go well with the leek-and-peanut butter-sandwich I made?"

"I'm sure you'll love it," Tatsuki couldn't help laughing at her friend's enthusiasm. "Seriously Orihime, do you only eat proper food when I come over? Are you sure you don't want to move in with us? My mom really likes you, y'know."

"Tatsuki-chan's mom is really nice too," Orihime was already digging into the stew. "But I don't want to burden you. I'm perfectly fine on my own!"

"If you say so…" Tatsuki sighed and watched Orihime dip a leek into peanut butter and then the stew. No matter how she tried, she couldn't figure how _anyone_ could eat what Orihime eats and not get sick. There must be a Orihime-gene that doesn't exist in anyone else.

Leaning back, Tatsuki accidentally knocked against the drawers and a soft fluffy bear dropped into her arms. She picked it up with surprise. "Orihime, your teddy bear is torn."

* * *

It was snowing again.

But it wasn't cold. Not biting cold. More like a cool comfortable chill that settled around him like a fresh blanket.

He took a step forward in the snow, feeling the snow compress into something solid. There was something at his feet, sniffing. Snow? No…

A pure white snow bunny sniffed his toes and looked up at him innocently with ruby-red eyes.

_**Ichigo.**_

A voice like thunder, but not frightening. It rolled in the sky, rolling around him. He tilted his head, wondering where it came from.

Ichigo…

Softer. Not as imperious as thunder, but still firm. He knew that voice…

"ICHIGO!!!"

He sat up with a gasp, throwing the blanket off him in one swift movement. The room was still light – he had fallen asleep with the lights on. Before he could take another breath, his window slammed open and he nearly jumped out of his skin when a figure swung in and landed at the foot of his bed in a smooth leap. "Ru – "

BAM! She had grabbed his hair and yanked him forward. The shock was literally ripped from him as he felt his whole body being hauled over the mattress. Everything seemed to happen in a frame-by-frame; his ungraceful arc from mattress to floor –

The pain in his scalp –

And the sudden _huge_ clawed hand that shot through the wall, right where his head should have been if she hadn't yanked him forward –

And then they were rolling on the floor; well Ichigo was rolling. Rukia had flipped up in an instant, in a defensive stance. The arm emerging from a black void clutched at his bed, ripping the mattress in the process before hauling its entire form through the void. And damn if he had ever seen anything like it.

"Hurry, strike it Ichigo!" Rukia commanded, not really caring that he was feeling sore all over from her rough manhandling. Growling, Ichigo got to his feet and felt her grab his shoulder. The familiar rush, and then the huge-ass sword was in his hand.

The Hollow was perhaps the most human he had seen yet, with oily black hair that hung around his skull-like mask. But from torso onwards, he was all snake, with a whipping tail.

At least I know what a man-snake hybrid looks like now, Ichigo thought humorlessly as he launched into the air and swung, hard.

Two miscalculations here. Firstly, he forgot that he was in his room, which didn't allow for much room in combat. Secondly, he completely forgot that his room had a _ceiling_.

"Ichigo!" Rukia exclaimed in horror when his sword tore through the ceiling, reducing much of its momentum such that by the time the sword connected, it was only strong enough to crack the mask. The Hollow howled as a portion of its mask clattered to the floor and disintegrated into dust.

But that probably was when Ichigo received his biggest shock.

Taking a risk, Rukia performed several seals. "In the name of the binding flames – "

Too late, the Hollow had retreated back into the void with a vengeful howl, leaving an angry Rukia and a stupefied Ichigo. Cursing inwardly, Rukia made for the window. "We have to go. It will reappear soon and I don't want to fight in a house."

"Stop, Rukia," Ichigo sounded strange. "Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"His face. Did you see his face?"

"Are you still surprised? I told you Hollows are fallen souls, didn't I? What, were you expecting a rabbit or something?"

Letting her sarcasm slip, he took a troubled breath.

"That was Inoue's brother."

* * *


	7. Chapter 7 Downhill

That bit of news got a bigger reaction than he ever expected. Her violet eyes grew so wide that he was sure they would pop out if anyone gave her head a gentle tap. But worse was her expression - a deathly pale livid _fear_ that had him speechless. "…brother?"

"Yeah, the brother I told you about. The one who died." Ichigo said tersely. "I'm sure it's him."

"_Onii-san!"_

_He peeked from behind the pillar, too afraid to come nearer. He didn't like coming near people who had a dark shadow hanging over them. He knew what it was – when people are about to die the shadow hangs, ready to smother them to death. _

"_Onii-san, please wake up!"_

_The shrill cries of the girl next to the bed was so sad, like his own cries when…_

"_Onii-san!!!"_

_He knew he would never forget the cries, not the faces. _

"But turning into a monster like – oi! Where are you going?" He blinked as Rukia prepared to jump out and she tensely looked at him from over her shoulder. "Isn't it obvious? We have to get him."

"But we don't even know where he's going!"

"I do," She glared over her shoulder. "What are you standing there for? We have to go to Inoue's – fast." And she was gone, leaving Ichigo torn to decide whether to follow her suicidal jump (goodness knows she's pushed him off enough buildings) or to do the humane thing and leave through the front door.

... To hell with the door. With a muttered curse, Ichigo jumped and quickly sprinted to catch up with her.

Rukia definition of fast was…greased lightning. Inoue's house wasn't too far – just a couple of blocks – but by the time he got there he was severely winded and had to use a lampost for support.

Rukia sniffed at his panting. "Men are such babies."

"Wh – why you *gasp* I'm the one carrying the sword here!"

Rukia rang the doorbell and after a moment the door was opened by Tatsuki. She arched an eyebrow in surprise when she saw who it was. "Kuchiki-san?"

"Hello!" Rukia had slipped into her saccharine overloaded-schoolgirl persona. "We were in the neighborhood and thought to stop by! How are you doing?" Nevermind that it was a little over midnight.

"We?" Tatsuki lifted a curious eyebrow and spotted Ichigo lurking nearby, still looking like he had run a marathon. Putting two and two together, Tatsuki came to the completely wrong conclusion and her mouth formed an 'o'.

"It's not what you th – " Ichigo tried to explain but Rukia stopped him short and narrowed her eyes. "Ichigo!"

For she had just sensed it - a ripple in the spirit energy around her, the sign that _something_ was breaking through the dimensions.

Unfortunately for her, Ichigo was completely crap at sensing energy flux, for he was still blinking stupidly at her. Which lead to a dire consequence.

"Tatsuki, who's at the door – " Orihime was about to get up when she heard a loud rush of air, like the sucking of a vacuum cleaner, and then the impact came.

Cursing herself a hundred times over, Rukia delivered a swift chop to Tatsuki's neck to knock her out and bolted into the room, Ichigo stumbling behind her. And did a double-take.

Lying next to the table was Orihime.

Lying next to the wall was _also_ Orihime, the brother-monster looming over her menacingly. Ichigo's eyes darted between one Orihime to the other. "Hell? Illusion?"

"Look closely. The one next to the table is her body," Rukia said, "The other one is her soul. Do you see the chain?"

Ichigo saw a chain running between the two Orihimes. And now that he was thinking clearly, he saw that the soul-Orihime was slightly blurred, like most of the souls he was used to seeing.

"Whatever you do, you must not break the chain. If you do, Orihime dies. Understand?" Rukia was eyeing the Hollow wearily. "Try to bring the fight elsewhere and I'll restore her soul to – " Her words were cut short when the Hollow snatched soul-Orihime in its claws. And for the first time, Ichigo heard its rasping voice.

"…_no…_"

Ichigo frowned.

"…_not taking her…Kurosaki._"

"Leave the girl," Rukia demanded to the Hollow. "She is still with the living!"

"…_not taking her. I won't let you._" The Hollow muttered. "_Not…Kurosaki. Not taking her._"

Sensing that the Hollow was distracted, Ichigo tried to lunge at him, but didn't see the tail coming to intercept and smacked him out of the window. "Ichigo!" Rukia cried and hurriedly ran outside into the street. "Ichigo!"

Pain. For some reason he didn't expect that falling out of the first storey would hurt so bad, but then remembered that he had been smacked out like a tennis ball. Of course. Groaning, he got to his feet, hearing Rukia's light footsteps coming towards him. Damn, this is getting ridiculous. "Ungh."

"Don't 'ungh' me – what were you thinking?!" Rukia stared at him in disbelief. Though part of her was relieved that Ichigo had somehow managed to cushion the impact with reaitsu, another part of her was marveling at just how quickly could he grasp things she had only demonstrated once. Or the amount of reiatsu he had to withstand the impact with only minor cuts.

Ichigo violently shook his head to get rid of the dizziness. "He's got hide as tough as steel."

"You had to learn that first-hand, didn't you?" God, her sarcasm doesn't let up, thought Ichigo as he noticed the Hollow hovering in the air, Orihime still captured. Only now, she was awake. "Rukia, how long does that chain thing go?"

"As long as necessary, but that's not your primary concern."

"What? As long as the Hollow dies then it doesn't matter if Orihime dies as well?"

"I never said that – watch out!" both jumped out of the way when the Hollow's tail crashed into the road where they stood. Ichigo landed on a wall, cursing. Freak! Why does this happen to him anyway?!

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime was struggling now, trying her best to wriggle free. "You monster! Let-GO!" She tried to bite him, but it probably hurt as much as an ant bite. Less than that, even.

"Inoue, don't provoke him," Rukia warned. This doesn't look good. Not only does he have a tough hide, but he's fast as well. To strike him Ichigo needed accuracy and strength, both which he lacked. She flexed her fingers, feeling the spirit flow. Should she risk it?

Her concentration was suddenly disrupted when her command receiver beeped again, a single high note. Her frustration was evident by the absolute irritation in her eyes when she flipped it open. Another Hollow? And… "So near?" She gasped.

"_I only want what is mine_," The Hollow suddenly spoke up, a rough, raspy voice. "_I only want her back._"

"The hell?" Ichigo cursed. "You're dead, don't you get it?"

Rukia made a mental note. _Tactless too._ "Please release Inoue. We don't want to make this any more difficult that it is." Meanwhile her mind was racing, trying to figure out which was more important – which should be prioritized?

There was a patter of footsteps, and Rukia's blood curled. A passerby? Is there time to warn him away?

Too late, a shadow had come into view, and Ichigo nearly stumbled back in shock. "…Chad?!"

Indeed it was Chad, with a guitar on his back and the birdcage in his hand. He looked surprised to see Ichigo, and Rukia too, but there was something else in his eyes – a strange fear. "Ichigo?"

"Chad stay back," Rukia commanded. "Run away!"

But the Hollow was quicker, and before any of them could react Chad had been knocked into a wall. The birdcage fell out of his grasp and the door banged open, letting the parakeet free. Ichigo groaned. Catching a bird is decidedly more annoying than hunting Hollows.

Rukia couldn't stop a wry comment. "That's one more thing for you to do."

"You're asking a high price, Rukia," Ichigo growled, wanting to go over to Chad but was unable to let down his guard. "Inoue, stay calm and I'll get you out of there!"

Inoue's reaction was different however. She had swiveled around as much as she could, looking up intently at the grotesque mask. The piece that had fallen off was hidden behind a greasy lock of hair, but all men know that women have x-ray vision. "…onii-san…?"

Good, Rukia thought as her words seem to have an effect on the Hollow. Now while it's distracted, she can perform a binding spell and free Inoue. Despite what she told Ichigo, saving innocent souls _are_ her Number One priority. Only thing is, one must isolate all emotion for it to work, and Ichigo is far too impulsive for that. "No one is trying to take Inoue-san away from you," She consoled him in a calm voice. "None of us are."

"_He is. He has. Kurosaki Ichigo has._"

Now that made Ichigo frown. As far as he could remember, he did nothing that even resembled protectiveness towards the girl, let alone possessiveness. His felt his cheeks burn at Rukia's half smirk. "He did, did he?"

"I DID NOT!" He snapped. But words seemed to be wasted on the Hollow. "_**I will not let him have her!**_" And with that shriek, out sprayed a greenish substance, which Rukia managed to avoid but not Ichigo. Acid, she thought as Ichigo painfully clutched his arm. And judging by the foul smell; "Don't inhale it!" Rukia ordered. "It's poisonous gas!"

Unfortunately (or fortunately) for them, Orihime was knocked unconscious by the gas. But it was perfect timing. "Hadou 4: Byakurai!" She fired the spell and it hit the Hollow's arm, forcing it to release Orihime. At this point, Rukia was betting on Ichigo catching her, and the boy didn't disappoint.

But the strain of firing the spell could be felt. Her hands tingled unpleasantly and she felt drained, like she had fired twenty of them consecutively. So it was indeed alarming when her body refused to respond when she saw the other arm lunge towards her.

"Rukia!"

THWACK!

Dimly she heard the sound – the sound of Hollow claws colliding with her arm and sending her crashing into a wall. There was pain too, but at the moment identifying it was impossible. Ichigo…she heard Ichigo's voice, and that pulled her out of her confusion. She instantly doubled over with pain, struggling to channel her remaining reiatsu to her injuries to lessen the damage.

Ichigo could only watch in horror as the Hollow flung Rukia away like a rag dog. This can't be happening…

But any thoughts of running to the girl's aid was forgotten when the Hollow turned its empty eyes to him. "_I hate. You._" It rasped. "_You stole her. She won't speak of anyone but you. I Hate You._"

Still in a haze (but retaining conscious thought), Rukia stumbled to her feet and felt warm liquid run down her front. Pain. Blood. Carefully cradling her throbbing arm (and it had just healed too), she distantly registered three deep gashes that gushed blood. But amusingly, she was more upset about ruining a dress than fatal injury. At least she was alive, for now. Not much can be said for the future unless she does something about this mess.

"Ichigo!" She called, the effort making her dizzy. "We have to end it fast. Inoue…"

"You don't need to tell me twice," Ichigo grumbled, readying his sword and with a roar, charged. Something sparked in him then – maybe it was Orihime knocked unconscious, maybe it was Rukia all torn and bloodied, whatever it was, he was _furious_.

As his sword connected with the mask with a sickening crack, he suddenly felt sucked in, flung into a void.

"_Nii-san, I'm home! Mou, why didn't you eat the oranges I gave you? Ah, nevermind! Today Kurosaki-kun smiled at me!"_

No, not a void. This…

"_Nii-san, good morning! I played outside in the snow with Tatsuki-chan! And Kurosaki-kun was there with his sisters too! We threw snowballs at him but he was grumpy as usual."_

This feeling… he knew it. It was what he had shrouded himself in all these years.

Loneliness.

Sadness.

Bitter resentment.

A scream, a push, a loud crash

"_Nii-san, I almost got run over by a car today, and hurt my leg. But Kurosaki-kun helped me up and checked my groceries, eventhough I wasn't really hurt he was still so nice, and Kuchiki-san too!"_

And anger erupted, so violently that Ichigo nearly suffocated from its intensity. Clawing desperately for air, his fingers latched around something.

Hairpins.

"_Nii-san, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was angry at you. Nii-san! Don't leave me! Please! Nii-san!!!"_

Her wails was what pulled him back to reality. Jerking back suddenly, he fell on his rear, heart beating erratically.

"Nii-san!"

It was disintegrating into spirit particles, he knew. But still Orihime clung to it, desperately shaking it. "Nii-san!"

Numb. His eyes shifted to Rukia, who was standing next to him. Injured, he thought. But alive.

"Nii-san…" Orihime whimpered, heartbroken as he hands gripped empty air, the glowing spirit particles swirling around her like a gentle caress. How ironic it is that when Hollows die, they die beautiful. "Nii-san…"

Ichigo willed the zanpakutou away and stared at his hands. "He was the one who saved her."

Rukia looked questioningly at him.

"Earlier, at the junction. He was the guy who pushed Inoue away."

Her eyes widened slightly. "…I see." She slowly made her way to the sobbing girl and knelt next to her. "Inoue…"

The tears again. Ichigo so hated seeing women cry.

"He's gone!" Inoue cried out unhappily. "Gone! Why did you kill him Kurosaki-kun?"

"Inoue, he was no longer the brother you knew," Rukia said gently. "After his death, his spirit stayed on earth to protect you, and eventually he turned into… that. We have to make him move on, to lay his spirit at rest, or he will harm you."

"But why? This is so unfair," Orhimie sobbed as she clutched at Rukia's collar. "My brother…"

Rukia sadly stroked her hair, allowing the girl to grieve. Ichigo stood helplessly, not knowing what to do.

Which reminded Rukia of something she had to teach him to do. Lifting Orihime's face, she produced a silver pen. "Look here."

Flash!

"Ack!" Ichigo scrambled over and looked in horror at the unconscious Orihime. "What did you do?!"

"Memory modifier. You've seen it before, haven't you?" Rukia showed the pen-device to him. "Although this one is the low-grade modifier. Which means the memory substitution will be random."

Like a fish out of water, Ichigo could only gape. "Huh?"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Carry her into the house, quick. Leaving a soul outside the body for so long might affect her."

"Wait a minute, you're acting pretty calm about this," Ichigo observed as he carried Orihime's soul up the stairs to its body. "And you're hurt!"

"I've staunched the blood flow, so there's nothing to concern you with." Rukia rolled her eyes. "Hunters are able to staunch the flow of blood with spirit energy – a temporary aid until help comes along. Just hold the soul over the body and it'll return back on its own. No groping!" She checked the still unconscious Chad and somehow moved him to an undamaged part of the wall, discreetly flashing the chikan.

When she entered the apartment, he glared at her. "Those gashes are nothing? I don't know how long you've been this Hunter thing, but loss of blood is not the only way to die, you know."

"Uh-uh," Rukia carefully crouched down next to the prone form that was Tatsuki.

"Your wounds can get infected, they'll fester."

Deciding that she would have to modify her memory as well, Rukia pried open one eyelid and flashed the chikan.

"Or if they're deep your internal organs might get inflammed,"

Satisfied, Rukia relaxed and felt the heaviness settle around her.

"Or you might – Rukia?!" Ichigo gasped when he heard a thump and saw Rukia sprawled on the floor. "Oi, Rukia! Oi!!"


End file.
